PRESENCE - Volume 75
Inspiration For Guitarists
If you talk to any pro musician who has been doing this a while, they all have some weird gig stories. Here's one of mine.
A band I played with got hired to be the Letterman-style band for the Davis Cup tennis tournament. The tournament was televised, and our job was to play a song leading into and out of commercial breaks. It was a fun and challenging gig. We had to be on our toes and improvise constantly — we never knew how long a break would last, so we had to start and stop on a dime. The bandleader had an earpiece with the show's director feeding him cues.
Our "stage" was in the stands, close to the court. And let me tell you — watching tennis pros on TV is not the same as being in the room with them.
I remember one of Andy Roddick's serves coming quite close to me on the bandstand. Roddick's fastest clocked serve was 155 mph. That might look fast on television. But when it's coming at you, that's a completely different experience.
I've since learned something about tennis that has stuck with me ever since.
Most points in a tennis match are decided by three shots — the serve, the return of serve, and the first shot after the serve. That's it. High level coaches will tell you the return should be simple — down the middle, no hero shots. Most points are lost on that third shot because players go for too much or too little.
And here's the thing: pro tennis players spend the majority of their practice time on exactly these three shots. These three Essential Skills. Not on fancy techniques. Not on flashy trick shots. On the fundamentals that dictate everything else.
Sound familiar?
It's the same with guitar. Most players spend their time chasing the exciting stuff — the licks, the solos, the techniques they saw on YouTube. But the players who actually improve are the ones who build their practice around the fundamentals that connect everything.
That's the whole idea behind Essential Skills for Guitar. And it's what the Essential Skills Vault was built to support — 70+ of my best lessons organized around the fundamentals, there whenever you need another angle, another example, another way to make something stick.
Today is the last day to get the Vault free with your course purchase. After tonight it becomes a $37 add-on at checkout.
[Click here to enroll and get the Vault free.]
Dustin
P.S. - That Davis Cup gig was one of the more surreal experiences of my career. Not every gig comes with a 155 mph serve headed in your direction.